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(No Model. f 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

H. W. NIPHER.

STEAM ENGINE, No. 505,991. Patented Oct. 3,1893.

v '2 Sheets-Sheet 2. H. W. NIPHER.

STEAM ENGINE; No 505,991. Patented Oct. 3, ,1893.-

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFIcE.

. HENRY W. NIPHER, OFLEBANON, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO\VILLIAM M. DEER AND JOHN S. SNAVELY, OF SAME PLACE.

STEAM-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 505,991, dated October3, 1893. Application filed J'n1y3, 1893. $erial No. 479.475- tNo model.)

To all whom, it may concern: full boiler pressure, and at the sametempera- Be it known that I, HENRY W. NIPHER, a ture-through anelliptical opening 0, in one citizen of the United States, residing atLebaside of the piston, thus constituting a live non, in the county ofLebanon and State of steam chest for the engine. The piston is 5Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and provided on the sideopposite the opening 0 useful Improvements in Steam-Engines; and find inthe-longitudinal and horizontal center I do hereby declare the followingto be a full, with a Wrist-pin d, which extends through the clear, andexact description of the invention, opening 0 in the side ofthe cylinderand ensuch as will enable others skilled in the art to gages the crank Dof the shaft E, by means IO which it appertains to make and use thesame. of 'a ball and socket joint D, which imparts My invention relatesto steam engines and to the piston an axial or oscillatory motion hasespecial reference to that class of engines as it reciprccates in thecylinder, thus c0nin which the piston constitutes the steam trolling theSupply and eXhauSt 0f the engine chest, and in its longitudinalreciprocation in Without theuse of a supplemental valve, the

I 5 the cylinder has imparted to the piston an piston being in itselfthe valve of the engine.

axial or oscillatory motion whereby the piston The shaft E is supportednear its outer end also serves as a valve, controlling the inducin apedestal F and is provided with a baltion and eduction 5 f th engineiance wheel G,'and with a suitable driving pul- The invention will befully disclosed in the icy H, from which power is transmitted to the 20following ifi ation and claims. machinery to be driven in the usualmanner.

In the accompanying drawings, which form In the wall of the cylinder andon opposite part of this specification, Figure 1 represents sides of thehorizontal center of the cylinder, a vertical transverse section throughthe end 011 the side to which the steam supply gine cylinder, the pistonand the exhaust pipe I) is connected, are live steam passages 2 5steam-chest, and a side elevation of the shaft, 6 e which extend to theopposite ends of the its pedestal, the balance wheel and pulley;cylinder and through which the motor fluid Fig. 2 a plan View, showingthe cylinder, pisis supplied to move the piston. One of these ton andexhaust-steam chest in longitudinal passages e is shown in dotted linesin Fig. 2, horizontal section; Fig. 3 atransverse section and in thehead a of the cylinder adjacent to 30 on the line w:2c Fig. 2; Fig. 4. alike view on the end of the passages e e, are cavities f to the line y'ysame figure; Fig.5 a longitudifacilitate the admission of the motorfluid to nal section through the cylinder showing the start the piston,one of which cavities is also piston in side elevation, and also theinducshown in said Fig. 2. tion ports, the piston being in the sameposi- In the Wall of the piston B on opposite sides 3 5 tion as in Fig.2; Fig.6 a side view of the cylof the elliptical opening 0 and onopposite inder detached from the exhaust-steam-chest, sides of thelongitudinal center are the steam showing the piston, the wrist-pin andone of. induction ports g g which control the admisthe eduction-ports;Fig. 7 a side and a top sion of steam to the passages e c alternatelyplan view of the induction-port packing ring as the ports register withsaid passages, and 0 0 on an enlarged scale, and Fig. 8 a side view saidports are packed by an annular ring h, of the spider which rests uponthe packing the inner or concave end 1, of which rests ring as shown inFigs. 3 and 4. against the piston, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4:, Referencebeing had to the drawings and and upon the outer end of said ring restsa the letters thereon, A indicates the cylinder, spider h'which is heldin place by a hollow 5 5 provided with the usual heads a a, and steamscrew Z, and adjusted to compensate wear by pipe b, connected to thecylinder in its longia screw m which engages the inner screw tudinalcenter and communicating with a' thread of the screw Z. On the .oppositeside steam generator, not shown. B, the piston, of the piston, onopposite sides of the wristwhich is hollow, and when the steamcontrolpin (1 and in the longitudinal center of the too 50 ling valve isopen is in communication with piston, are exhaust or eduction ports n n,the generator, and filled with steam under which communicate withpassages o 0 in the piston and conduct the exhaust-steam alternatelyfrom the opposite ends of the cylinder to the exhaust steam-chest I,from which it is conducted in any approved manner.

The engine being constructed substantially as described, the operationis as follows:--The piston being at the end of the cylinder, shown inFigs. 2 and 5, steam is admitted to the port g and passage 8' to drivethe piston toward the opposite end of the cylinder and as the pistontravels, it is turned on its axis by the wrist-pin d engaging the crankD and the ball and socket joint D cuts off steam gradually and. thesteam in the end of the cylinder toward which the piston is traveling isexhausted through the passage 0' into the exhaust steamchest I. By thetime the piston has completed its stroke itwill have been turned on itsaxis to bring the port g to register with the passage e and steam willbe admitted to said opposite end of the cylinder and the exhaust steampass out through the passage 0 into th exhaust steam-chest I; and inthis stroke of the piston it is turned upon its axis by the crank andintermediate connections as in the former stroke.

The point of cut-oif is regulated by setting the piston in properrelation to the crank and the ball and socket joint and connecting thewrist-pin thereto.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim is 1. Asteam engine having a hollow reciprocating piston inopen communication with the motor fluid supply pipe and provided witheduction ports in the wall of the piston and on opposite sides of thesupply opening and extending to the ends thereof, in combination withpassages in the wall and extending to the ends of the cylinder.

2. A steam engine having a hollow piston provided with an ellipticalopening on one side, induction ports on opposite sides and ends of saidopening and exhaust ports and passages, in combination with supplypassages in the wall of the cylinder, and means for oscillating thepiston in its stroke.

3. A steam engine having a hollow piston provided with an ellipticalopening and induction ports in combination with a packing for saidinduction ports consisting of an annular ring, a spider and means foradjusting the packing to compensate wear.

4. A steam engine consisting of a cylinder provided with supply passagesin the wall thereof, a hollow piston in constant communication with thesupply' pipe and provided with ed uotion ports and exhaust passages anda wrist-pin,-in combination with a shaft having a crankto which saidwrist-pin is connected to impart an oscillatory motion to the piston inits stroke.

In testimony whereof I affix m ysignature in presence of two Witnesses.

HENRY W. NIPHER.

Witnesses! J. H. BASSLER, A. B. SNAVELY.

